Students toilet paper their school…for a great cause!

What a thrill! Heritage Elementary students got to cover their library in toilet paper and didn’t get suspended. That’s because their class collected the most toiletries, like toothbrushes, deodorant and, of course, toilet paper, to help those who can’t afford them in Douglas County.

The wonderful idea to hold a toiletry drive for the indigent came from fourth graders AJ Hastings, Reese DeVisscher, Maya Lopez, Courtney St. Onge and Landon Warta. The students wanted to help people in Douglas County and noticed there were a lot of food and toy drives, but none for basic necessities.

After contacting Fresh Harvest Food Bank to get a list of the top 10 most needed toiletry items, the kids wrote announcements, sent emails, made flyers, dressed up and passed out flyers in the car pick-up line, set up a collection day at King Soopers, and placed collection boxes in every classroom at Heritage.

They held a contest rewarding the class that collected the most toiletry items with getting to toilet paper the school library. The team exceeded their goal of collecting 1,000 items by collecting 1,778 items! They were amazed by the generosity of the community to help others.

After their toiletry drive was completed, they wrote a musical fable telling about the impact they made in their community to present at the South Metro Destination Imagination regional tournament. The moral of their fable is, “If you give to others…everyone’s heart grows…both the people giving and the people receiving! Both sides feel love, and their happiness shines! The world is a brighter place!”.

The students placed 1st in their challenge category and received a special award for their impact in the community at the regional tournament. They went on to place 2nd at the state tournament and will now compete at Global Finals at the end of May!